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Santorum, Huckabee to attend Trump event
The Hill ^ | January 28, 2016 | Ben Kamisar

Posted on 01/28/2016 10:58:41 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife

Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum will attend Donald Trump's pro-veterans event on Thursday at the same time as Fox News's prime-time presidential debate.

Spokesmen for both candidates confirmed to The Hill that the Republican presidential will still participate in Thursday's undercard GOP debate, but will head to the Trump event after.

The undercard debate begins at 7 p.m. Eastern, two hours before Trump's event is slated to start three miles away. That gives candidates who failed to reach the main stage the freedom to participate, while anyone slated for the main stage would have to skip the debate altogether to attend.

Huckabee said that he didn't speak with Trump directly about the plans, but that his staff had expressed interest in conversation with the Trump campaign. He added that he doesn't believe the decision to join Trump at the event sends a negative message to those candidates taking part in the main-stage debate.

"It's to honor the troops, it's not an endorsement of Donald Trump's candidacy. I'm still running for president, we've got the caucuses Monday night, but I'm delighted to join with Donald Trump in an effort to salute the veterans," Huckabee said Thursday on CNN's "Wolf."

"I'm not invited to the main stage, I would have loved to have been on that stage ... if they aren't sitting out in the audience watching me, I don't feel any compulsion that I have to be there for that debate.

Trump's campaign scheduled the event after he decided to pull out of Fox News's debate because the network issued a strongly worded statement in response to his calls to remove Megyn Kelly as a moderator.

His campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, has said the event will raise funds for veterans organizations, but the campaign has not elaborated which ones will benefit.

Trump tweeted

Thursday morning that two campaigns had reached out with interest in joining his event, but he did not identify the candidates.

His decision to skip the debate has prompted criticism from his GOP rivals.

Ted Cruz, his closest challenger in recent polls, challenged him to a one-on-one debate this Saturday, and two Cruz-aligned super-PACs promised to donate $1.5 million to veterans organizations if Trump agreed.

The decision by both candidates to stand by Trump despite criticism from other candidates could be seen by supporters as a signal to support Trump.

Both Huckabee, the 2008 Iowa caucus winner, and Santorum, the 2012 caucus winner, have long histories with the state's evangelical population.

But they have seen those voters flee him in droves, mostly to Trump and Cruz, and both lag behind the majority of the field in fundraising.

While other rivals framed Trump's decision as fear to defend his record, Huckabee lauded Trump for manipulating the media during an interview this week on Fox's "Hannity" and jokingly asked

to take his spot on the main debate stage.

During the CNN interview, Huckabee said Trump would be on his vice presidential shortlist.

Huckabee also didn't argue with the assertion that he'd be more comfortable with Trump as the nominee than Cruz, and took the opportunity to criticize Cruz for cozying up to hedge-fund billionaires and for moderating his stances depending on the audience.


TOPICS: Front Page News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: debate; gopprimary; trump
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1 posted on 01/28/2016 10:58:41 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

Well, they really had nothing better to do.


2 posted on 01/28/2016 10:59:53 AM PST by freeangel ( (free speech is only good until someone else doesn't like it)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

As a result of this, Trumps victory margin in Iowa will jump 2-7%.

Not huge, right?

(Yes, I am smiling as I type these words.)


3 posted on 01/28/2016 10:59:59 AM PST by samtheman (Elect Trump, Build Wall. End Censorship.)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

Where can we watch the trump event ? CNN confirmed?


4 posted on 01/28/2016 11:00:18 AM PST by TigerClaws
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

Weird.


5 posted on 01/28/2016 11:00:28 AM PST by Tax-chick ("This is all going to end very badly." ~ Victor Davis Hanson)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

I’m sure they care only for the vets./s


6 posted on 01/28/2016 11:00:46 AM PST by skeeter
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To: samtheman
As a result of this, Trumps victory margin in Iowa will jump 2-7%.

Agreed, it's all falling into place. Meanwhile back at the debates Cruz will be fending off attacks and losing support.

7 posted on 01/28/2016 11:01:36 AM PST by 1Old Pro
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To: freeangel

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/10/rick-santorum-donald-trump-rivals-buddies-214960

“....In an interview with POLITICO on Tuesday, Santorum explained that he’s had several unusual encounters with Trump over the years.

The first came in late 2011, after the real estate mogul had called him “a loser” on Fox News. Santorum, then making his first bid for president, phoned Trump afterward to clear the air.

“I said, ‘Well, I’d appreciate it if you don’t call me a loser,’” Santorum recalled. “And he said, ‘Well, but you’re too conservative. You’re just out there. You’re just way conservative.’ And the first thing he mentioned was pro-life. He said, ‘you’re too hard-core on pro-life, you’re too hard-core on marriage. I don’t know anyone who shares that opinion with you.’”....


8 posted on 01/28/2016 11:01:42 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

This can only help Trump in Iowa. Go Trump!


9 posted on 01/28/2016 11:02:07 AM PST by jpsb (award.)
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To: freeangel

Three losers together.


10 posted on 01/28/2016 11:02:14 AM PST by livius
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
"It's to honor the troops, it's not an endorsement of Donald Trump's candidacy."

It's for the free food.
11 posted on 01/28/2016 11:02:17 AM PST by Resettozero
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

Two potential veeps.


12 posted on 01/28/2016 11:02:34 AM PST by DungeonMaster (the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

bring your own fiddle.


13 posted on 01/28/2016 11:02:41 AM PST by hadaclueonce (I thought Ethanol was the devil, now i find it is America is an Oligarchy)
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

Santorum will be on CNN at 3:00


14 posted on 01/28/2016 11:03:04 AM PST by hoosiermama (Make America Great Again by uniting Great Americans)
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To: Resettozero
"It's to honor the troops, it's not an endorsement of Donald Trump's candidacy."

It's for the free food.

Large serving of CROW?

15 posted on 01/28/2016 11:03:29 AM PST by Don Corleone ("Oil the gun..eat the cannoli. Take it to the Mattress.")
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To: TigerClaws

I haven’t seen anything official from CNN,,and I’ve been looking and hoping for it.


16 posted on 01/28/2016 11:03:34 AM PST by austinaero
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To: skeeter

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/while-donald-trump-attacks-bill-clinton-mike-huckabee-defends-him/

Donald Trump may be ready to bring up the more sordid parts of Bill Clinton’s history, but one of his opponents for the nomination was out this morning pointing out some of the former president’s attributes.

“He’s still immensely popular with Democrats....He’s still popular with a lot of Americans,” Mike Huckabee said, in a Fox News Channel “Fox & Friends” appearance.

Huckabee, who, like Bill Clinton, served as governor of Arkansas, then went on to praise Clinton’s political skills. “After seven years of Obama, a lot of Republicans would take Bill Clinton back — warts and all — just because at least he understood how to govern. He was not the kind of person who would demonize the other side legislatively. Now, Bill Clinton is partisan — most of us are — but he also had a history, and I think it was the fact he’d been a long-term governor and understood how to govern,” he said.......


17 posted on 01/28/2016 11:03:48 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: Resettozero

Just happens to be the two sub 2% gutter snipes who are constantly nipping at Cruz’s conservative credentials. Coincidence I’m sure.


18 posted on 01/28/2016 11:04:21 AM PST by skeeter
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To: Cincinatus' Wife

DonaldTrumpforVets.com


19 posted on 01/28/2016 11:04:23 AM PST by TigerClaws
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To: samtheman

Ted Cruz, his closest challenger in recent polls, challenged him to a one-on-one debate this Saturday, and two Cruz-aligned super-PACs promised to donate $1.5 million to veterans organizations if Trump agreed.


So the Cruz pacs will donate to veterans if they get something out of it.


20 posted on 01/28/2016 11:05:15 AM PST by magglepuss (Don't tread on me)
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